Uber, the ridesharing app, has released a Green Index on the occasion of World Environment Day. The launch of uberPOOL in the Chennai helped save 184,000 litres of fuel and 3,911,000 kms travelled, there by curbing 433,000 kg CO2 emissions in the city.
Arjun Srinivasan, GM, Uber Chennai, said, “Using public transportation and ridesharing is a responsible way to combat traffic congestion and rising pollution levels in the city. With the launch of uberPOOL in Chennai, our goal was to get more people in fewer cars at the tap of a button. The results show that 18 percent of the total Uber trips in the city were on uberPOOL, with riders from SRM University and Kattankulathur clocking the highest number of trips. As responsible corporate citizens, we aim to drive societal change to promote rational consumption of natural resources.”
According to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, the average occupancy of a car is just 28 percent. Meaning, while a car can carry 4 people, it only carries 1.15 persons. With an aim to make every ride a shared one and increase the adoption of public transportation through its first and last mile connectivity, Uber aims to significantly reduce carbon footprint in India. In Chennai, uberPOOL is one of the fastest growing products given the seamless product experience, affordable fares and not to forget, the environmentally-friendly citizens in the city.
Uber introduced its most innovative product - uberPOOL in India last year. Launched first in Bengaluru in September 2015, the seamless, reliable and convenient experience of ridesharing accelerated the adoption of uberPOOL in six more cities across the country - Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai and most recently Pune.
